Department of Water Resources conducts helicopter survey of Paso Robles-area groundwater basin
If you live in Paso Robles or Atascadero, you may have seen a strange sight this weekend: a helicopter with a large hoop on it, flying 200 feet above the ground. The Department of Water Resources held something called an airborne electromagnetic survey of that area to collect data on the groundwater basin there. During one of these surveys, the helicopter tows electronic equipment — which looks like a large hoop — that sends signals into the ground, which then bounce back. It’s like taking an MRI of the ground’s subsurface — and it helps the DWR know more about our groundwater basin.